Monday Roundup: Crunch Time Is Here, UWW Updates Seeding for Worlds

Less than three weeks from now will be the US Senior and Junior World Team Trials. Three weeks. 2017 isn’t just going quickly, it’s flying by in a hurry.

All of our themes are in place for the Senior previews (though we of course will touch on the Juniors, as well). Thus far, it’s breaking down like this:

59 kg — Too deep. Several wrestlers can absolutely win and no one would be shocked by any of them doing so.
66 kg — A repeat of the 2016 Open final isn’t just plausible, it is practically necessary.
71 kg — On the surface, this looks like a three-horse race. But there are potentially two other athletes who have a chance to turn the entire weekend upside down.
75 kg — An established Senior looks to try and hold back the surging youth movement that has captured everyone’s attention.
80 kg — A two-time World Team member will try to make it three in a row while attempting to navigate an increasingly competitive field.
85 kg — There’s a leader in the clubhouse who is being chased down by a determined trio of challengers.
98 kg — Not completely out of nowhere, but what is currently one of the US’ strongest weight classes should be in good hands in Paris no matter who emerges victorious.
130 kg — A no-doubt-about-it Greco star begins his quest to go out on top. A familiar and friendly face itches to begin his time in the sun.

That is what we seem to be working with. The anticipation is crazy. So many match-ups worth the price of admission. It’s the main event, the entire tournament.

An important item to consider is this — the US Greco-Roman team, as a whole, meaning all who compete full-time, features a potent mix of experienced vets and young talented athletes who have reached varying levels of overseas success. One way or the other, steps have been taken and progress has been made. Whomever comes out of Vegas at each weight will be expected to put forth a representative effort at the World Championships. The time might not be now, but the path has certainly been cleared.

UWW updates seeding system for World Championships

The number of participants for each event affects the points calculation. For instance, if at 71 kg, there were 40 participants at the World Championships, the world champion will receive 25 + 40 pts = 65 points. This way, competitions with many participants will award more points than the ones with fewer participants.

An athlete only receives points within the weight class they participated in at the Olympic Games, World Championships, and the Continental Championship. Seeding is also linked directly to the athlete, not the national federation. If the National Wrestling Federation replaces the concerned athlete, they will lose this position and the conventional drawing-of-lots shall be administered.

Position of the top seed athletes in the bracket

No. 1: He will be paired at the first position of the bracket (top of the upper part)No. 2: He will be paired at the last position of the bracket (bottom of the lower part)No. 3: He will be paired at the top of the lower part of the bracketNo. 4: He will be paired at the bottom of the upper part of the bracket

If there is a qualification round, the top seeded athletes will be paired last. If the number of athletes oblige the top seeds to participate in the qualification round then it will progress from seeds four, three, two, and then one.

Not surprisingly, seeding will be based on the results of the 2016 Olympic Games, the 2016 Senior Non-Olympic World Championships, and the 2017 Senior Continental Championships.

Joe Rau interview

The long-awaited Joe Rau interview is up. As many fans know, Rau is one of the most popular Greco-Roman wrestlers in the country and while a big chunk of that is due to his actual wrestling ability, a lot of it has to do with his unbridled honesty. It also doesn’t hurt that he is an incredibly nice and down-to-earth human being. Rau really poured it out here, and for those who read the piece he did with two-time World medalist Andy Bisek, some of the same themes are discussed, but with a more current context. From his increasing involvement in standup comedy to recovering from injury and how this year has presented different challenges on and off the mat, nothing is left out. If you have the time, it is strongly recommended you check this one out.